Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

• • • • • •

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On the world of Krynn

in the Dragonlance setting, rock

gnomes take invention

to extreme heights and are known

for being purveyors

of madcap mayhem. Despite losing

body parts

or gaining scars from various accidents, noth-

ing stops

the tinker gnomes' insatiable quest to experi-

ment

and discover.

Go Big or Co Home. The

creations of tinker gnomes

range from the ridicu

lous to the dangerous. They love to

push the art of invention

beyond its limits, and to explore

the instability of volatile materials. They

cackle with glee

after an ear-splitting bang, and jump

and cavort amid

lethal sprays of lightning. Though

it might be bizarre and

unusual,

a working tinker gnome creation is a rare

thing,

and highly prized. Such inventions include the

following:

• A chain-driven tomato smasher
  that is also able to fly


• 
  

  A lightning-powered portable rat-zapper- good for
  keep-

  
  

ing out the vermin

• A floating metal facsimile of a beholder,
  complete with

disintegrating

eye rays

• A flock of
  exploding parrots

Fail Often, Fail Happy. These inventors

are delighted

by every explosion,

every melted mess, and every heap of

smoking wreckage.

Failure is part of the eventual solution

and something

to be celebrated. A truly epic failure might

be

cause for a great celebrat ion in the community.

per imentation and discovery.

Even though rock gnomes

appre

ciate the practical aspects of their endeavors,

they

also find satisfaction in creating items that

have no

true usefulness. Many an

inve ntion is celebrated just

for being beautiful to beho

ld or for be ing complex and

intricate in its const

ruction, and the a rtists who create

such things are as esteemed as those who

specialize in

designing tools.

Exploration is a par t of invention , as

the gnomes see

it, so there's nothing wrong with creating

machines and

CHAPTER 5 I llAU'LINGS

AND GNOMES

artifacts that seem to

have no purpose. The gnomes who

produce these works of art are using new

ideas and new

approaches, breaking through old boundaries

and ad-

vancing the frontier of knowledge. Fo

r instance, an art-

ist might create a beautiful articulated

sculpture whose

pieces can be manipulated in a unique

way. Another

artisan might take that idea and

apply it to a new form of

invention- but no one forgets that

it was the artist's idea

that blazed the trail for that journey.

ALCHEMISTS

Rock gnome alchemists

explore the nature of minerals

and chemicals, curious

to see what happens when they

mix cer tain substances

with other compounds or with

raw magic. Most alchemists

, even those who busy them-

selves with experimentation

and new ideas, can produce

a number of useful

substances, such as alchemist's fire,

antitoxin, super slippery goo, stone melting

compound,

stirge repellent, and glow-in-the-dark

paint.

ARTIFICERS

Rock gnome artificers construct

exquisitely tooled and

enameled pieces of machinery

, often weaving magical

properties into their work.

Artificers often develop a rep-

utation for a par ticular style

and type of work. For exam-

p le, a friendly

gnome artificer might create lovable

me-

chanical pets and companions,

while a grumpy gnome

might make snapping critter

constructs with sharp teeth

and claws. Gnome artificers

can become famous, with

their works highly sought after by nobles

, wizards, and

other collectors.

An artificer's inventions might include

items such as a

lock box that opens with a verbal command

or a series

of gestures, a clockwo

rk critter designed to respond to

simple comman

ds, or a common magic item (such as

those introduced in Xanathar's

Guide to Everything).

TUNNEL

VISION

When

they are at work, rock gnomes hole up

in their

workshops

with "Do Not Disturb" signs hung

on the

door.

It isn't uncommon for gnomes who are

working on

their projects to spend

most of their time in seclusion,

and even when they

emerge (for meals or othe r reasons),

they are often deep in thought and oblivious

of their

surroundings. In the safety of the burrow,

they seldom

come to harm because of this vulnerability.

But even

city-dwelling gnomes can fall prey

to this sor t of obses-

sion as they

pursue their projects, and in such cases

it's much safe

r for them to stay in their homes, since

a

gnome wandering the streets deep

in thought is liable to

walk into a moat or be run over

by a wagon.

FOR

EST GNOMES

As the companions

of nature and its animals, forest

gnomes

learn from their surroundings as if from a

mas-

ter teache

r. They evade incursions into their wood

ed

realm by great numbers of

humans and other races, but

they a id individuals and small

groups whom they deem

worthy of their help. They

create lovely gardens, organic

sculptures,

and wondrous emerald jewelry-

that pre-

cious

green stone being their favorite of all

gems.